Choose Courage Over Comfort

Courage Comfort Many people never leave the community they grew up their whole life while others have traveled to every country in the world. For some people, this is by choice. Having the option to do so is a great privilege in itself. In the US, if you aren’t happy where you are, you can decide to move somewhere else. Our environment has a large impact on our lifestyle and overall health, but this should not be equated with our happiness. Searching for happiness outside of ourselves can be a slippery slope. The idea that we can move to a new place to find happiness is part of the American Dream for complete freedom. We often take this freedom for granted by choosing to stay in our comfort zone our whole life. Moving out of our comfort zone doesn’t always need to be a physical move, but usually a mental shift. Once we tap into a greater awareness that we can do what we want with our life, the universe opens the doors for opportunities. Growing up in New Jersey was truly a blessing in so many different ways. Although we may have some days better than others, we will always have a strong connection to our home state. Once I began learning the truth about Jersey and seeing all of the important community work being done, I understood my place there. I grew a new gratitude towards my home state that I was always so desperate to escape. My involvement in the community was no longer limited to the circles I have been associated with prior in my small county and I found myself in many new environments of leadership. However, being a leader takes a lot of courage. Leaving our comfort zone and familiarity of our routine day-day lifestyle can be scary and oftentimes, it is. But choosing courage over comfort will be the only way we can all grow together. I encourage every reader to ask themselves, how am I a leader? Whether it be in your community, family, classroom, team, or anywhere else, there are always places for leaders to step up. We can all make a difference even in the smallest ways that we may not even realize.

One way to improve our awareness can begin with our daily smaller choices. We start with a list in our head of all the possible options and just think for even 10 seconds before we wake up and start our day. First decision: will today be a good day? This is the most important choice we make because it will control all of the other decisions and thoughts we have all day. We can also ask ourselves: Am I alive and breathing? Realize how fortunate we are to be able to make that decision for ourselves. Instead of giving up, we are still here. Some of the other choices we face early on in the day that also have a big impact on our lives are: should I eat breakfast or drink tea, when will we open our phone and get distracted on Instagram for 20 minutes, what do we think when we look in the mirror. All super simple choices that we make every day without even taking a second to think about our choice. This doesn’t mean that we will always make the best choices, because we are human, but at least we will be aware of our choice. I became more aware of my daily choices when I allowed gratitude to flow into my life. My vision became clearer of where I wanted to be and grow in my lifetime. While living in my home state of New Jersey, I shifted my focus towards a new appreciation for all of the abundance and beauty around me and the universe brought me what I needed to succeed. Opportunities came along that I spoke about in the past as dreams and I realized how powerful my choices and thoughts really were. After graduating college I was unsure of what I wanted to do next but I continued to work in industries I was already familiar with that were in my comfort zone. I was happy where I was working and enjoyed having control of my schedule, but I was also listening to the fear of my student loan bills quickly approaching. Just when things were going well and I was really connecting with my new community, an opportunity came along that I could not pass up. A new position was available for me to move to San Diego to work for an international education company that fulfilled all of my dream job requests, as well as my housing. With only a week to pack and move across the country, I chose courage over comfort and decided to leave my nest of New Jersey to explore a new golden coast. As a way to keep myself healthy and continue on my path of spiritual growth, I reconnected with my passion for journaling. Writing has always been a strength of mine that I have used mostly for academic purposes and neglected to utilize as self-expression. By adding journaling to my daily routine I felt more in touch with my creative side and grew awareness of my choices each day. When we make choices without awareness we often go through our day on auto drive not even able to recall what we ate or what we did. Becoming my own self-accountability partner was a great practice in my self-transformation journey that kept me focused on my goals. Especially in our tech-obsessed culture I knew that I needed to make time in my day to just be with my pen and paper without any distractions of the world outside of me that I could not control. I knew that I can only control my choices and how I perceive what happens around me so I chose courage over comfort by creating a realistic self care plan which included daily journaling.

If there is anything self-transformation taught me, it would be that it is not easy to do alone. Although I believe healing does start from within, I know now that it is not going to be successful if it stays within. Keeping it all inside will not help us truly heal what is now manifesting on the outside. Even writing it down on paper is enough to get it out of your brain to really reflect on what emotions you need to feel in order to activate healing. Although daily journaling is a practice that works for me, it can be even simpler by just sharing your gratitude out loud. Today, I choose courage over comfort when I wake up each morning and decide it’s a great day to be alive. How can you choose courage over comfort in your life today? Kenzie is a wellness leader who aims to be a positive example in her community by practicing self-care and following her dreams. She grew up in a small town in Northwest Jersey with a passion for self-expression and community building. Kenzie graduated from Rutgers University in 2018 and currently lives in the Virgin Islands to further her spiritual journey towards healing. Her favorite way to sweat is dancing, singing, and making noise with friends! You can find her at the beach practicing yoga or exploring new hiking trails for wild fruits in her free time. She shares her story on her blog and is now selling daily journals and playbooks to help others gain awareness of their self care practices and raise mother Earth’s frequency. Check out more about her daily life in the islands and support her small business at KenzieXLove.com/shop or on social media @_KenzieXLove.

Watch the full interview with Sharon Shaffery of Natural Awakenings South Jersey on her Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l05ak8wxr9Q&t=756s